


pathetic little man with a pathetic little dream

by NewTimelineNewMe



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, Introspection, Memory Loss, Post-Finale, Running Away, its being sad about eiffel hours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewTimelineNewMe/pseuds/NewTimelineNewMe
Summary: Did Officer Eiffel ever take walks?
Relationships: Doug Eiffel & Everyone
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	pathetic little man with a pathetic little dream

**Author's Note:**

> POST-FINALE SPOILERS, BE WARNED
> 
> anyways i highly recommend listening to Self Esteem by AJJ and think about post-finale eiffel while or after you read this fic.

Did Eiffel ever go for walks? 

Sure, he knows that Officer Eiffel was in space, but before. Back when he was Doug, himself, and not this terrible copy that’s walking around right now. He can’t really ask Renee, it’s not like she would know. The same is true for Lovelace, the same is true for Hera, or Jacobi, and so Doug doesn’t ask before heading out.

He’s left his phone at home, he realizes, and Renee’s going to be mad when he gets back. 

If he goes back.

In a twisted way, it’s kind of nice. Doug has his wallet, meaning he has money, meaning he doesn’t technically need to go back. Not for a while, not right away, at least. He’s wondering what happened, truthfully, to make him feel like catching the next bus and skipping town, but if he’s being honest, he’s always felt a little like that, ever since waking up amidst explosions and a crashing spaceship. 

Doug wasn’t made for this, he knows. He’s a shitty friend, and a shitty astronaut, and a shitty Doug Eiffel impersonator. Maybe that’s why they never look at him right. Maybe that’s why they always do a double take when he walks in the room, the wrong name on the tip of their tongue. 

Maybe that’s why he’s going on this walk. To...clear his head. 

He stops by a gas station, and the nearest one to Renee’s house is a little over three miles, so it’s no wonder why his throat and legs hurt. He still wasn't all that used to gravity, just another thing Doug couldn’t seem to get right. 

He grabs a coke from the cooler (Did Eiffel like coke?) and puts it on the counter. He pulls out some money, and tells the cashier to take the change. 

And then he’s off again. 

Doug knows the bus station is about another half-mile from here, and he finds himself wandering in that direction before he truly processes his choice.

His choice. He’s pretty sure Officer Eiffel would never do something like this to his friends. God, was Renee his friend? Doug’s friend? Or maybe-- probably--

She was just there for the wisp of a man Eiffel was. That’s-- honestly, Doug’s known that for a while now ever since she first called him Eiffel by mistake. He’s just, well, he had hoped that maybe--

But that was stupid. Doug could never be who she wanted him to. He just-- wasn’t. Not anymore. 

He’s at the bus station, now. Yippee.

He stands there for a while, he thinks. He’s not entirely sure how long it takes before he snaps back to reality, and he realizes there’s a ticket in his hand. 

God, what was he doing? He should just turn around and-- and go back to Renee and the group. Just throw away the ticket and--

_“Hey, Eiffel.” Renee says. The look on her face immediately after reveals the mistake she’s made, and she stumbles over her next words. “I mean-- Doug. Sorry, I meant-- Doug. What’s-- what’s up?”_

He can’t go back. They-- they won’t stop expecting him to be who he’s not, and he can’t keep pretending anymore. He’ll start over in a new town, one where they won’t expect him to be anything. 

He just-- He can’t go back. 

He boards the bus.

_Pathetic little man with a pathetic little dream  
I hope you all can forgive me. _

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
